Schools Minister Yet to Visit South Yorkshire, Reveals Stephanie

As reported in the Barnsley News and Sport and Barnsley Chronicle on 12th October, Stephanie has forced the Government to admit that Nick Gibb MP, the Minister in charge of South Yorkshire’s schools, has yet to make a single visit to the region.

In answer to her parliamentary question the Government also revealed the entire Ministerial contingent for the Department for Education have made just 13 visits between them to Yorkshire as a whole. This compares to the 31 visits they’ve made to London, and 23 to the South East.

Stephanie – a former teacher who even before her election brought Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary to visit Barnsley’s schools – claimed that, following the admission, it was no surprise that the Government was out-of-touch with the problems facing schools in Barnsley and South Yorkshire.

The news follows a recent revelation that the Government spent two years and £40,000 of taxpayers’ money attempting to hide how little the Minister in charge of their ‘Northern Powerhouse’ project actually visited the North in his role.

Said Stephanie: “Our schools are facing unprecedented pressure, with budgets slashed, resources cut, and teachers leaving the profession in droves.

“Yet how would the Minister in charge of our schools have any idea how this is affecting schools here in Barnsley when he has failed to make a single visit to the region?

“The Minister is welcome to come and see the damage his Government’s appalling obsession with austerity is doing to Barnsley’s schools and students, but given his record I won’t hold my breath.

“This is just another example of an out-of-touch Tory Government ignoring people here in Barnsley.”